Battle of Adrianople (1254)

For battles on other dates, see Battle of Adrianople (disambiguation).

Battle of Adrianople
Part of the Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars
The Latin Empire and the Partition of the Byzantine Empire after the 4th crusade, c. 1204
Date 1254 Location Adrianople Result Nicaean victory
Belligerents
Bulgarian Empire	Empire of Nicaea
Commanders and leaders
Michael Asen I of Bulgaria	Theodore II Lascaris

The Battle of Adrianople was fought in 1254 between the Byzantine Greek Empire of Nicaea and the Second Bulgarian Empire. Michael Asen I of Bulgaria attempted to conquer land taken by the Empire of Nicaea, but the advance of Theodore II Lascaris caught the Bulgarians unprepared. The Byzantines were victorious.[1]

Background

In 1252, the Byzantine Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes led a successful campaign against Epirus, seizing the towns of Kastoria, Ohrid, Prilep, and Vodena. By this point the Byzantines had a stranglehold on Constantinople, and Vatatzes made plans for its capture. However, Vatatzes died in 1254, and was succeeded by his son Theodore II Laskaris, who had epilepsy and was often ill.[2]

Battle

Shortly after his ascension to the throne, Theodore II found the Empires' newly won possessions in Thrace under attack by Michal Asen I of Bulgaria. Once in Thrace Theodore II was hindered by difficulties raising an army. [2] After he assembled his troops, he himself led them into battle, successfully repelling the Bulgarians and preserving the Empires' borders. [3]

References

1. Eggenberger, David (1985-01-01). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. Courier Corporation. ISBN 978-0-486-24913-1.
2. Bartusis, Mark C. (1997). The late Byzantine army: arms and society, 1204 - 1453. Middle Ages series. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-8122-1620-2.
3. Lygo, Kevin; Hughes, Bettany; Peston, Robert (2022). The emperors of Byzantium. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-02329-7. OCLC 1258782063.